Underwater ship attachment used to divert air, bubbles, debris, ice, and pressure fluctuations

ABSTRACT

An objective of the present invention is to provide an underwater ship attachment that is used to divert air, debris, and pressure fluctuations. More specifically, the present invention discloses an anti-cavitation device (such as a diverter device) for flat-bottom boats. The air diverter has been developed to regain, enhance, and protect the operational function of propulsive and steering equipment among displacement and semi displacement hulls. As with protect items such as bottom mounted depth sounder transducers, intakes for engine or general cooling, sea chests, keel coolers, zincs, and all other underwater mounted items susceptible to air ingestion, air disturbance malfunction or debris impact.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present application generally relates to a shipping equipment, and more particularly to an underwater ship attachment that is used to divert air, bubbles, debris, ice, and pressure fluctuations.

BACKGROUND

In general, the present invention is an anti-cavitation device for flat-bottom boats. This type of boat is particularly susceptible to drawing air in at the bow and not shedding the bubbles to the sides as a conventional boat hull would. The bubbles travel straight back and eventually encounter the propeller, leading to inefficiency and undue wear and tear. There is no known technology thus far which specifically targets the large shipping industries both inland and ocean going to combat the detrimental causes of air, debris, and ice upon propeller efficiency and damage. As tests have been conducted, the propellers on large ships or boats with any air lubrication system whatsoever have been losing a known 1-3% efficiency due to bubble ingestion.

In light of the above-mentioned background, there is a need for a technical solution that solves the above-mentioned problems and provides a seamless mechanism for an anti-cavitation device for flat-bottom boats. This device causes bubbles trapped at the hull bottom surface to be diverted outward and around the propellers and running gear.

SUMMARY

It will be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular systems and apparatus described herein, as there can be multiple possible embodiments of the present disclosure which are not expressly illustrated in the present disclosure. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

An objective of the present invention is to provide an underwater ship attachment that is used to divert air, debris, and pressure fluctuations. More specifically, the present invention discloses an anti-cavitation device (such as a diverter device) for flat-bottom boats. This device causes bubbles trapped at the hull bottom surface to be diverted outward and around the propellers and running gear. There is no known technology thus far which specifically targets large shipping industries both inland and ocean going to combat the detrimental causes of air, debris, and ice upon propeller efficiency and damage. However, the diverters presented herein may be used in various industries such as Open Ocean Shipping Industry and Inland River Towboat Industry.

Open Ocean Shipping Industry: Installing the diverters in front of a suction zone of a propeller on a large ocean-going ship which is installed with an ALS (air lubrication system). This may remove all efficiency hindering air of any kind generated from entering the propeller. As tests have been conducted, the propeller on the large ship with any air lubrication system whatsoever has been losing a known 1-2% efficiency due to bubble ingestion. The diverters presented in herein will help minimize such loss of efficiency.

Inland River Towboat Industry: Due to the shape of a tow or push, and the known semi-flat bottom of the towboats themselves, it is sheer nature for air to pass tightly along the bottom of the vessel and directly into the nozzles or open wheels of the vessel. By installing the diverters on either side of the keel or skeg in front of a towboat propeller gives various advantages. For example, it diverts air formed from the poorly shaped bows and sterns of the barges being pushed, along with the air formed from the tug when it is at free running speed. Any drift, debris, or ice floating down river which is trapped and pulled under the front of the barges or the tug may be caught before the propellers and diverted around in a safer and much less expensive area. The pressure fluctuations caused by the square geometry of the tows creates a mixed flow disturbance that enters the propellers. This alone can cause the propellers to cavitate during certain pushes even at speed. The diverters help dampen this by creating a natural barrier which catches these tight hull clinging surges of water, dissipating and diverting out around the wheels.

The multipurpose air diverters have been developed to regain, enhance, and protect the operational function of propulsive and steering equipment among displacement and semi displacement hulls. As with protect items such as bottom mounted depth sounder transducers, intakes for engine or general cooling, sea chests, keel coolers, zincs, and all other underwater mounted items susceptible to air ingestion, air disturbance malfunction or debris impact. The shape of the diverter resembles that of an upside-down airplane wings, at a swept 45-degree angle. The diverter is 20.5″ in length, with a front face which is angled at 45 degrees with respect to AFT section of the ship to create a depth of water cleaned that is related to the height of front face. In an embodiment, the front face height is 3.5″, which results in a depth of water cleaned of approximately 2.5″. In an embodiment, the front face height is 4.5″, which results in a depth of water cleaned of approximately 3.2″. In an embodiment, the front face height is 5.5″, which results in a depth of water cleaned of approximately 3.9″.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description below, in light of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as to its structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be illustrated by way of various examples. It is expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of example in association with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates a diverter for a flat bottom boat, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates a side view of the diverter for the flat bottom boat, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram that illustrates a bottom view of the flat bottom boat including the diverter, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a diagram that illustrates a side view of the flat bottom boat including the diverter, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be further understood that the detailed description of exemplary embodiments is intended for illustration purposes only and is, therefore, not intended to necessarily limit the scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used in the specification and claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” may also include plural references. For example, the term “an article” may include a plurality of articles. Those with ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated, relative to other elements, in order to improve the understanding of the present invention. There may be additional components described in the foregoing application that are not depicted on one of the described drawings. In the event such a component is described, but not depicted in a drawing, the absence of such a drawing should not be considered as an omission of such design from the specification.

Before describing the present invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention utilizes a combination of components, which constitutes an underwater ship attachment that is used to divert air, debris, and pressure fluctuations. More specifically, the present invention discloses a diverter device for flat-bottom boats or ships. This device causes bubbles trapped at the hull surface to be shed sideways away from the propellers. Accordingly, the components have been represented, showing only specific details that are pertinent for an understanding of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the present invention.

References to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “another embodiment”, “yet another embodiment”, “one example”, “an example”, “another example”, “yet another example”, and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase “in an embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

The words “comprising”, “having”, “containing”, and “including”, and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.

Unless stated otherwise, terms such as “first” and “second” are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements or entities. Thus, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other prioritization of such elements or priorities. While various exemplary embodiments of the disclosed systems and apparatuses have been described below, it should be understood that they have been presented for purposes of example only, and not limitations. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the present invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the below teachings or may be acquired from practicing of the present invention, without departing from the breadth or scope.

The diverter device of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which should be regarded as merely illustrative without restricting the scope and ambit of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-4.

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates a diverter 100 for a flat bottom boat, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The diverter 100 is an anti-cavitation device for flat-bottom boats. The diverter 100 includes a plurality of plates such as a first plate 102 and a second plate 104. The standard width and length of the first plate 102 is dependent on each application, but ranges from 20″ in length to 90″ in length. The second plate 104 is a 3.5″-5.5″ face plate. The second plate 104 is attached to the first plate 102 at an angle of 45 degrees. Height of the second plate 104 is 2.5″-3.9″. The first and second plates 102 and 104 are ¼-½ inch thick steel or aluminum plates depending on a hull material of the boat. The diverter 100 causes bubbles trapped, air, debris, pressure Fluctuations at the hull surface to be shed sideways away from the propellers, sounder transducers, intakes for engine or general cooling, sea chests, keel coolers, zincs, and all other underwater mounted items.

FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates a side view of the diverter 100 for the flat bottom boat, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The diverter 100 includes 24″ by variable length ¼-½″ plate (i.e., the first plate 102 which is side plate or face) that serves as the raw material. Raw material will be formed into a 45-degree, parallelogram. The approximately 24″ 45-degree face is mated to a surface of the skeg, keel, shaft tube or hull. Creating an appropriate angle for oncoming bubbles, debris, ice or pressure fluctuations to be pushed easily removed and carried outward around the propellers, sounder transducers, intakes for engine or general cooling, sea chests, keel coolers, zincs, and all other underwater mounted items. The diverter 100 further includes a 3.5-5.5″ 45-degree plate (i.e., the second plate 104 which is a sloped front face) grabs air bubbles, debris, ice and pressure fluctuations. engine or general cooling, sea chests, keel coolers, zincs, and all other underwater mounted items. 20.5″ AFT end of the diverter 100 is rolled or bump formed into the appropriate sloping shape. The sloping upward angle resembles that of an upside-down airplane wing, creating an extremely even laminar flow along the bottom of the diverter 100. The side plate is a formed metal piece with the roll of continuously pushing the diverted objects into their new safer path. It also acts as a cap for the outside edge of the diverter 100. The multipurpose air diverter has been developed to regain, enhance and protect the operational function of propulsive and steering equipment among displacement and semi displacement hulls.

FIG. 3 is a diagram that illustrates a bottom view 200 of the flat bottom boat 202 including the diverter 100, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The approximatelye 24″ 45-degree side face is mated to the surface of the skeg, keel, shaft tube or hull of the flat bottom boat 102. The diverter 100 creates an appropriate angle for oncoming bubbles, debris, ice, or pressure fluctuations to be pushed easily and removes and carries outward around the propellers of the flat bottom boat 102. The 3.5-5.5″ 45 degree sloped front face of the diverter 100 grabs air bubbles, debris, ice, and pressure fluctuations. The sloped front face causes sliding of any trapped obstacle outwards to the designed length before exiting the diverter 100 and escaping in-between or around the propellers.

The 45-degree 3.5-5.5″ sloped front face is the most critical aspect of the diverter 100. The length of the front face may be changed if the air, debris, or ice conditions require a deeper section of water to be cleaned or diverted. When a length is added to the face, it creates a deeper section moving through the water, running the risk of higher drag and underwater cavitation on the back side of the diverter 100. 3.5″ front face roughly 2.5″ vertical depth diverter is an extremely low-profile low drag setup.

The 45-degrees 24″ overall material length side face may be altered to be 40 degrees or less to theoretically create a lower profile and lower angle of attack and reducing the likelihood of material stress cracks. The material length needed to cover the same width for diversion then increases, adding extra wetted surface and drag to the device.

The 20.5″ AFT end may easily be altered to have greater or smaller lengths. Adding length gains a longer profile to the airplane wing creating an even smoother path for water to flow. Decreasing the length increases the bend increments creating a sharper upward angle which may be prone to creating back eddies/bubbles. For example, if one were to remove of the entire backside of the diverter 100 or weld a 45-degrees piece of angle to the bottom of the flat bottom boat 202, it would divert all objects, but it would add and create a tremendous amount of turbulence and air on the AFT section.

The side cap is a fairly critical piece, providing a guide for the exiting objects or air. This piece also adds to the streamlining and strength of the device. Without the cap, the diverter would not fully expel or remove objects the way it was intended.

FIG. 4 is a diagram that illustrates a side view 300 of the flat bottom boat 202 including the diverter 100, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The multipurpose air diverter has been developed to regain, enhance, and protect the operational function of propulsive and steering equipment among displacement and semi displacement hulls. As with protect items such as bottom mounted depth sounder transducers, intakes for engine or general cooling, sea chests, keel coolers, zincs, and all other underwater mounted items susceptible to air ingestion, air disturbance malfunction or debris impact. The shape of the device resembles that of an upside-down airplane wings, at a swept 45-degree angle. The diverter is 20-90″ in length, with a 3.5-5.5″ front face which is angled at 45-degrees AFT to create a 2.5-3.9″ depth of water cleaned. The diverters would deliver the same air/debris performance if someone were to remove the AFT section of the device. Creating a much more cost-effective unit. Unfortunately, as many bubbles or air as it would remove, it would generate an equivalent amount on the low pressure side as there would be a tremendous amount of back eddies created. The steep AFT section of the diverter would develop cavitation at rather slow vessel speeds. In the case of a rare vessel with a fiberglass hull, one would most likely use an aluminum diverter fixed to the hull and coated in glass. The inventions primary building materials may be steel and aluminum of all grades. Wood and fiberglass may be used, with the detriment of the speed limitations of the vessel due to strength issues from debris impact.

Techniques consistent with the disclosure provide, among other features, systems and apparatus for diverting operations by using a diverter device for flat-bottom boats or ships. This device causes bubbles trapped at the hull surface to be shed sideways away from the propellers. While various exemplary embodiments of the disclosed system and apparatus have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented for purposes of example only, and not limitations. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing of the disclosure, without departing from the breadth or scope.

While various embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as described in the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A diverter for a flat bottom boat, comprising: a first plate; and a second plate, wherein the first plate is mated to a surface of a skeg, keel, shaft tube, or hull of the flat bottom boat, wherein the second plate grabs air, bubbles, debris, ice, and pressure fluctuations, and wherein the first plate causes bubbles trapped, air, debris, ice, pressure fluctuations at a hull surface to be shed sideways away from a propeller of the flat bottom boat.
 2. The diverter of claim 1, wherein the first plate creates an appropriate angle for oncoming bubbles, debris, ice, or pressure fluctuations to be pushed easily and removed and carried outward around the propeller of the flat bottom boat.
 3. The diverter of claim 2, wherein the first plate is a side face of the diverter.
 4. The diverter of claim 1, wherein the second plate is a sloped front face at an angle of 45-degrees to the first plate.
 5. The diverter of claim 1, further comprising an AFT end that is bump formed in a press brake to form a gradual sloping continuous angle which mimics a differing height of a front end of the diverter.
 6. The diverter of claim 5, wherein a sloping upward angle resembles that of an upside-down airplane wing, creating an extremely even laminar flow along a bottom of the diverter.
 7. The diverter of claim 1, wherein the first or second plate is a formed metal piece with a roll of continuously pushing diverted objects into a new safer path.
 8. The diverter of claim 1, wherein the second plate is attached to the first plate at an angle of 45 degrees.
 9. The diverter of claim 1, wherein the first or second plate is a steel or aluminum plate depending on a hull material of the flat bottom boat.
 10. The diverter of claim 1, wherein the first plate is a parallelogram. 